The Hyde Park Hermit

HUB History - Our Favorite Stories from Boston History

The early years of James Gately, who was better known as the Hermit of Hyde Park, were shrouded in mystery. Gately was an Englishman who came to Boston after his life took a bad turn. He had trouble making money when he got here, got robbed of his last cent, and decided to give up on humanity and disappear into the wilderness forever. For almost thirty years, he scratched out a meager existence living off the land in the woods of Hyde Park, while his legend grew. By the time he died in 1875, he was so well known that treasure hunters beat a path to his door to search (unsuccessfully) for the fortune they believed he had buried in his woods.

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The Hyde Park Hermit

James Gately at work in his cabin

James Gately poses in front of his second hut

Henry Grew’s estate on an 1850 map

Henry Grew’s “Woodlands” estate in roughly 1860

Gately’s Hermitage marked on an 1872 map

James Gately’s second resting place

• 1891 Hyde Park Historical Record
• 1904 Hyde Park Historical Record
• 1912 Hyde Park Historical Record
• Aug 21, 1874 Fitchburg Sentinel profile of Gately (reprinted from Boston Advertiser)
• Archaeology at Crane’s Ledge/Sally’s Rock/Pine Garden Rock
• Exploring Crane’s Ledge today
• Boston Globe articles (paywalled)
  • Feb 3, 1875
  • Feb 5, 1875
  • Feb 15, 1875
  • Jul 23, 1875
  • Aug 1, 1878
  • Dec 13, 1880